Water is the lifeblood of all laboratories. Purified water, in particular, serves a variety of operations and applications, from wet chemistry to instrumental analysis.

A successful water system design begins with a clear and precise definition of user needs throughout the facility. The purity level and volume of water required at each point of use can vary considerably and therefore must be fully assessed in order to properly inform the designer of the water purification system.

A look at water purification systems from 1700s into the future.

Most laboratory water purification systems contain a resistivity or conductivity meter and cell to monitor the purity level of the water. Resistivity is the reciprocal of conductivity and either may be used to inexpensively monitor the ionic purity of water.

Water purification systems are required for a variety of applications, all of which require different degrees of purity. With a wide range of pure water systems available, it can be difficult to know which one will provide the best results for your lab.

Slow production of laboratory-grade ultra pure water necessitates storage in large carboys. Many lab technicians will fill carboys up to 30 liters to locally store and dispense ultra pure water. High purity water stored in such large volumes will quickly degrade in quality. Learn about one solution to this problem.

Because impurities can be a critical factor in many research experiments, water purity ranks high in importance.

Various possibilities exist to address the specific water purity requirements of each laboratory and field, some of these solutions are in relationship to the needs of various laboratories.